Happy Birthday Dad b.1914 d.1998

This is the earliest photo of Carmelo Guglielmino, my father.  He was born in New York City, New York  October 21, 1914.  Midwives  delivered babies then and this one did not get around to recording his birth until Nov.13, 1914, so he has two different birth dates.

 

These are his parents, Maria Grazia Locascio Guglielmino, and Agatino Guglielmino, 1872-1935, and 1877-1953 respectively.

In the city, photographers would come around the neighborhoods with ponies, 

or take photos in studios with backgrounds and props like this car,  which would entice parents (thankfully) to take photographs of their little ones.

This is an early photo of "Carmine" as his sisters and brothers called him,  to Americanize his name.

He was a speed skater and won races at the 1940, at the  World's Fair Rink in Queens, NY.

This is his Tri- State Middle Atlantic Skating Ass'n. Championship 1940,

880 yd.  medal.

A WWII historian from California sent this remarkable picture of my father from his collection.  In it my father is aiming a Browning 2HMB 50 caliber machine gun, and around him are the components of a bazooka, which was used against enemy tanks and large trucks.  He sat in fox holes for weeks, even in the snow.  This picture was unknown to my family, until just a few days ago, attesting to the power of the Internet and blogging.

The reverse side of this photo gives the date, name of the signal corps photographer, identifies the man as Carmelo Guglielmino, Brooklyn.NY and titles the picture "Guarding a Belgian Highway."  It was stamped with a "passed for publication" number.

What makes every picture of my father look so noble is the way he is always gazing upwards. My dad and mom on August 17, 1943.

The pigeon basket, racing pigeon, and Carl, as my mother called him.

 

In 1969 when I was practicing with my Yashica 2 1/4" camera.

Easter, April 5, 1959. He was a very honorable man, an athlete, a reader, a working blue collar man, a family man, unforgettable, and a hero.

Chickens, Chickens, Chickens, Pigeons

 Although I have grown up in suburbia, I am a fan of chickens.

When I was browsing at a local church thrift shop, this book popped out and was interesting to me.

This manual, Judging Poultry for Production,  was written in 1930 by  James E. Rice, Goldan O. Hall, and Dean R. Marble.

 

There are comparisons of beaks, 

combs,

eggs

feet,

and other attributes that make for excellent chickens.

My own dad was a pigeon fancier.   He had many journals that  described the best qualities of racing pigeons.   He came from the Bronx and Queens, and this was a very urban hobby for men of that era.   I would go with my dad to Maspeth, Queens with wicker baskets of racing birds.  We would load them onto a special truck which would take them hundreds of miles away.  The birds would race home and be "clocked" with an oak racing clock.  Bands would be put into capsules and inserted into the clock.

The time that the bird came home to its coop was registered inside the clock.  Later the miles per hour were calculated and the winner determined per club.  Pigeon chicks were given racing bands which were slipped over their feet and onto their legs.  As the bird grew the band would be secured until it was removed after a race and put into the capsules. 

When I saw this book, it reminded me of the information that my father had mastered regarding pigeons.  He knew each bird individually.  He kept records about their lineage,breeding and their accomplishments.  He knew if one had been lost and sometimes returned to the coop after many years!

 

He knew how  to pick a winner.  If anyone is interested in this book, please contact me.